Chopsticks
by heatqueen
Summary: Imagine this: Elphaba attempting to use chopsticks.


**Chopsticks**

_A 'Wicked' One-shot_

_By ~heatqueen_

**A/N: There will be one user who knows exactly which conversation inspired me to write this. Thanks cuppasound, for the inspiration. :p**

Elphaba stared sceptically at the crockery placed in front of her and wondered, for the umpteenth time, why she was here.

It was all Galinda's fault for being so insistent. That girl really was capable of getting anything she wanted. All she had to do was make that cute, baby-doll face and the whole world would bend to her will irrespective of the consequences.

Normally Elphaba considered herself hardened to the desires of others, but Galinda was the only exception.

'This is ridiculous,' she said.

'Oh come on, Elphie, no it isn't!' Galinda replied in an exasperated tone. 'You haven't even tried it yet!'

This particular restaurant was the most unconventional sort that she had ever been to. It was not like the typical student cafés, nor was it representative of expensive high dining. Instead of the traditional tables and chairs, everyone was seated at bar stools which surrounded a conveyor belt. On the conveyor belt came many different coloured plates with different types of food on them.

Elphaba had never eaten sushi before.

She could just about understand the conveyor belt method of receiving food. The bit that she didn't get, however, was the cutlery used to eat it. Staring down in front of her, she frowned at the chopsticks laid neatly on a stand. How in Oz was anyone supposed to pick up bits of rice and fish with these things?

_First things first,_ she thought. She tore her eyes away from the offending cutlery and looked instead at the plates of food. When she found one that she thought she would like, she took it from the conveyor belt and set it down in front of her.

Of course, Galinda was having no problems. The way she munched away at her food made the use of chopsticks look easy. She plucked each morsel with one effective swish and popped it into her mouth as though she ate with the damn things every day.

It couldn't be too difficult, right?

'Why in Oz can't they use forks like everyone else?' Elphaba muttered, picking up the chopsticks and attempting to hold them in the same way Galinda was. She fumbled around for a minute before deciding that her grip on them was adequate. She held them above her plate of food, then slowly lowered them to try and grab a bit. The chopsticks poked at one of the sushi pieces and knocked it over. She poked at it a few more times, trying to get the stupid thing between the sticks, but only succeeded in chopping the morsel in half and letting out a sigh of frustration.

'This is impossible,' she snapped.

'It is _not_ impossible,' Galinda said. 'Look, copy me.'

She plucked another piece of food, and Elphaba watched her, trying to follow her quick movement. Elphaba looked down at her destroyed piece of sushi. With the rice having fallen apart she wasn't sure how in Oz she was supposed to pick it up at all. She was accustomed to picking up rice with a spoon, but apparently this was sticky rice which was meant to stick together.

_That's one thing the restaurant got wrong,_ she thought, looking at how it had fallen apart so easily, but attempted to pick it up nonetheless. To no one's surprise, it quickly fell back onto the plate.

'Galinda I cannot do this,' she said.

'Okay, forget the rice, just get the bit of fish on top of it.'

'How about forgetting the whole thing?' Elphaba grumbled, but attempted it nonetheless.

This time she managed to lift the piece of fish and quickly put it in her mouth before she could drop it. Satisfied that she had finally achieved the act of eating the food, she quickly chewed and swallowed.

'See, you can do it,' said Galinda.

'This is still ridiculous. Why not just poke it with a fork?'

'Because that's not how they do it here! They would laugh at you for using a fork!'

'They would already be laughing at me for being green anyway.'

'_Elphie!'_ Galinda huffed, but relented, and the moment the waitress arrived with a fork in hand was the happiest moment of Elphaba's life.


End file.
